Themes: Conspiracies, Military Life, Fighting the System
Main Cast: James Mason, Cedric Hardwicke, Jessica Tandy, Luther Adler, Everett Sloane
Release Year: 1951
Country: US
Run Time: 87 minutes
Plot
The Desert Fox is a superb filmed biography of German general Erwin Rommel, concentrating on the period between his retreat from North Africa and his government-decreed death. A brilliant tactician, Rommel earns the respect not only of his own men but of the enemy. Unfortunately, Adolph Hitler (Luther Adler), laboring under the delusion that he too is a military genius, demands more of Rommel than he's able to provide. Ordered to stand his ground in Africa to the last man, Rommel realizes that it's more intelligent in the long run to retreat; this incurs Hitler's wrath, but Rommel is a war hero, and as such is virtually "untouchable". Increasingly disgusted by Hitler's behavior, Rommel joins in a plot to assassinate the Fuhrer. The attempt fails, and Rommel's complicity is discovered. He is given a choice: either face a horrible death by torture, or commit suicide, thereby saving his family and his reputation. Rommel opts for the latter; the official story given to the press is that Rommel died heroically of his war wounds. Also appearing in The Desert Fox are Jessica Tandy as Rommel's wife and Leo G. Carroll as an insufferably aristocratic Von Ruhnstedt. The film caused a critical stir in 1951 by providing a tense ten-minute dramatic sequence before the opening credits--a technique that is all but de rigueur today. The Desert Fox was based on the book by Brigadier Desmond Young, who narrates the film and appears as himself in the early scenes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
This 1951 production was among the first post-World War II motion pictures to portray a German officer sympathetically -- in this case, Erwin Rommel, dubbed "the Desert Fox" for his wily tactics as a tank commander in the sands of North Africa. To fashion its portrait of him, the film uses a variety of devices: narration that presents him, dialogue that praises him, archival battle scenes that attest to his military genius, and staged episodes that demonstrate his mystique as a seemingly invulnerable combatant both feared and revered by the enemy. The opening of the film establishes Rommel as an Ubermensch. British submarine commandos sneak ashore at night and attack Rommel's North African headquarters, stabbing and shooting their way through sentries. After the skirmish, a dying British soldier looks up at a German and says, "Did we get him?" The German replies, "Are you serious, Englishman?" In one of his most acclaimed roles, James Mason plays Rommel with conviction, demonstrating to English-speaking audiences that Germans could be heroes, too. However, the film downplays Rommel's gigantic ego and his penchant for posing for cameras. Otherwise, the film generally follows historical accounts, including the fuzzy details surrounding his tacit support of the plot to overthrow the Fuehrer. Luther Adler brilliantly portrays a demonstrative, raging Hitler who upbraids Rommel, and Everett Sloane and Leo G. Carroll ooze venom as Nazi officers. The final scene -- when Rommel must choose between a vial of instant death or a public trial jeopardizing the welfare of his wife and son -- is poignant and memorable. ~ Mike Cummings, All Movie Guide
